Webuild begins Melito tunnel excavation for Napoli-Bari rail line

Construction has commenced on the Melito tunnel, a 4.4 km section of the high-speed/high-capacity Napoli-Bari railway line. The project is part of the Apice-Hirpinia lot, which aims to strengthen transport links between the Campania and Puglia regions and integrate Southern Italy into European mobility corridors.

Webuild is executing the works on behalf of RFI (Gruppo FS Italiane) using the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) named ‘Aurora’. The machine features a 12.5-meter diameter cutting head and weighs approximately 1,600 tons. After completing the 2 km Grottaminarda tunnel, the TBM was disassembled and reassembled to cross the Ufita river before beginning the Melito excavation.

The operation involves over 140 specialized workers operating on a 24/7 basis. The Melito tunnel is the final of three planned tunnels for this specific lot. Local officials from Grottaminarda and Melito Irpino attended a ceremony to mark the start of the excavation activities.